


Tea For the Tired Soul

by FlyOnGoldenWings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Character Development, Dealing With Said Problems, Epic Road Trip, Eventual Romance, Expanding Wizarding World, F/M, Friendship, Galivanting Across Europe, Magical Representation of Healing, Mental Health Issues, Running Away From Your Problems Is Okey Sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26688586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyOnGoldenWings/pseuds/FlyOnGoldenWings
Summary: They won the war and now they're trying to forget. Hermione and Luna cant forget. Two almost friends decide they've had enough of surviving, they want to enjoy life. So they left, they turned down every job offer, every reporter looking for an interview, every friend wanting something more then they were willing to give. They left to make their own adventure, where ever the wind blew them; not that either of them knew it was going to be this long of a road trip.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger/Undisclosed, Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Undisclosed
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

A cold, rainy morning was greeted by nothing more than a gust of wind. The sheeting rain was thrashed mercilessly against a cold, unforgiving sidewalk. A few lone figures dashed through the deluge, clutching umbrellas and bags in their efforts to flee. Cars drifted through the downpour, bright reds appearing washed out, blues appearing black and grey. The world was awash with a grey cold in muggle London. 

If one were to walk down the road, though it could hardly be called a road anymore, more a broken stream; if one were to walk down that road they would come upon a warmth that seemed to beckon the cold traveler closer to the glow of the front window. 

It was through this window a woman looked out, observing the outside world with a sense of serenity and contentment, something more commonplace for one to find on a sunny day in the park you may think. The woman held a mug of steaming liquid in her hands while she allowed her eyes to follow the streets and the seldom people rushing through the rain, she counted herself lucky she’d had no reason to venture anywhere out into the chill today. 

Sitting there musing over the ramifications of being out in the weather, she jolted when she was broken from her trance with the chiming of a bell from the door. A small person, swamped by rain and the two sizes too big rain jacket, stood shaking from the chill and trying desperately to close their dripping umbrella.

A grin lit the previously pensive woman’s face as she laid eyes on the face of the intruder. A slight woman stood where once had been a bedraggled creature, light of hair and eye, a face lit by an eerily matching grin. Lifting her chin to her companion waiting at the table in greeting, the slight woman approached the counter and procured her own cup of liquid warmth. A visible shiver wracked her frame when she finally wrapped her hands around the cup, her face relaxing into one of contentment as she felt the warmth seep into her chilled fingers. 

She drifted over to the cream before coming to a stop in front of the woman seated at the window. “Hermione, it has been too long love.” The words drifted from the woman’s lips in a willowy voice, fitting someone so slight. Her voice sounded like a breeze through the leaves in fall, cool and refreshing drifting across the listener’s ears. 

The woman at the window, Hermione, grinned up at the person standing next to her table and gestured for her to sit and join her. “Ah, Luna, it has been too long, hasn’t it? How was your year?” 

Still smiling as she accepted the cushioned chair across from Hermione, Luna informed her she was as well as could be expected for being so old, the women shared a smile over the sentiment. 

“My granddaughters came for a visit last week at the cottage and I’m afraid they have quite tired me out, I can’t keep up with them the same way I use to, but it was good to have some life in the house besides me and the cats”

“Ah yes, how are Lorcan’s girls?” Hermione asked.

Luna reached into her bag and pulled out a small parcel of photos, passing them to Hermione she narrated for each picture, telling Hermione all about how much the girls had grown this year and how they had gotten settled in for university in America and started seeing new boys. 

Hermione looked through the smiling, waving photos of Hanna and Alexandra Lovegood. There were some of them with Luna, some of them with the cats, some of them with their mother and father, and even more of them dancing through the kitchen helping their grandmother bake. There was one especially good one of all three women laughing in the kitchen while flour and sugar swirled around them, dancing to some unheard song as the women twirled around.

“It looks like you had a lovely week with them, I’m glad they got to come over this year, they’re back to school this week then, yes? Are they still excited to experience the muggle side of the world?” 

Luna nodded, “Yes, finally. Now they’ve got settled into school and begun really relaxing they’ve begun exploring the sights and making friends. I think they like America, though there have been comments on the lack of proper biscuits. I think there was a picture of us making some from last week in that stack.”

Hermione laughed as she nodded, “Remember when we were in Italy and the people next to us were so surprised to find there was no American pizza at the restaurant we were at. I must say I quite agreed with them on the fact that American pizza is the more satisfying of the two.”

“Italy was lovely though, the wine and the country were beautiful. I’m so glad we went on that trip after school, it was so nice to get away from England and all the kerfuffle after the war.”

“Yes I agree,” said Hermione “I think it was the best thing we could have done and look at all that’s happened to us since. None of it would have happened if we hadn’t chosen to take that break.”

Luna sat back further into her overstuffed chair, holding her tea close with a faraway look in her eyes. A sunny day on a colorful street, a man holding a bouquet of orange roses, two girls running through a green field being chased by someone laughing. 

“Yes, Hermione, I don't think I would have wanted life to be any other way”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summer 1998**

Luna Lovegood had shown up at the castle somewhere at the beginning of the final battle. She'd chased Harry though the corridors, showing him Helena, then found herself swept into the crowds, being pushed toward the fight.

After she could only remember the blood that ran down her side, flashes of red and green, and the stench of death. The world had looked so different after the battle, less color and more shades of grey. She'd sat on the sidelines of the Great Hall and watched as they carried the dead past her, she counted everyone, fifty-seven in all.

She'd floated past the entryway, barely processing the world around her, up to the Ravenclaw dorm, virtually untouched by the horrors that appeared in the rest of the castle. There she curled up on her old bed and tried to block out the sounds of screams and falling stone.

She emerged many days, after fending off several attempts to interrupt her mourning, later to find a quieter castle, muted memories, and many people trying their hardest to clean up the destruction that was left. The world looked greyer than she left it, not so many smiling colors and laughing sounds.

Luna got to work, mind-numbing, tedious work. All the books, back, back in their spots. All the shelves, fixed, fixed so they might last another hundred years. All her smiles, gone, gone, and in their place a permanent set of the eyebrows and a firm line of lip. Concentrating on only the task of healing the destruction in the library.

-x-

Hermione found her a few weeks later, somewhere in the middle of June. "Luna, is that you?" Hermione barely recognized the woman, gone was the shining mane of white-blonde, almost Malfoy esque hair, it was a muted grey with dirt and dust from the room around her. Luna looked as bad as Hermione felt inside.

"Oh, hi Hermione, how are you? I'm so glad you popped by I found some books I can't mend, but thought you might like."

Hermione was taken aback by the tone of her voice, how could someone who looked so miserable on the outside sound so normal. Her expression seemed to shift as soon as she saw Hermione, morphing into something lighter while her eyes seemed as dead and grey as the dust she was covered in. It was startling how exactly opposite the two things seemed to be when put together in the same face.

"Um, well I mean, yes, yes I'll take them. But are you okay, Luna? You look, well I mean to say," she cleared her throat and continued, "I think it's time you take a break. I was on my way to the prefect's bathroom, Harry and Ron just finished fixing it today with Professor McGonagall, would you like to join me?"

Luna looked down at her body, seemingly for the first time realizing that she was coated in a layer of dust.

"Well I do seem to have made quite a mess of myself, I think that might be a good idea."

Hermione reached down to offer her hand to the woman on the floor. Pulling her up she stepped back and gave her space so Luna could dust herself off to the best of her ability. The two women then walked slowly toward the tower so Luna could pick up a cleaner pair of robes, the box of broken books forgotten in the library.

-x-

After they'd both settled into the water and finished scraping a few days worth of grime off the two women fell into a companionable silence. Hermione sat there searching for something to say to fill the quiet while Luna lay floating, watching the bubbles float past the painted glass with a mermaid on it.

Luna watched as the iridescent bubbles slid past the green of the tail, shimmering like the scales of a serpent, popping as Hermione's voice broke the silence, shaking her out of her daze.

"When did you start on the library? I don't recall seeing you come in the other day with the new volunteers."

Luna shrugged, realized Hermione couldn't see her, and said "Well, I've been here since the spring but you know, I keep out of everyone's way they keep out of mine. Wouldn't want to bother anyone."

It was said with almost a tinge of bitterness that made Hermione wonder if anyone had actually been to check on Luna since the end of the battle.

"I had no idea you were here, no one mentioned it. I'm sorry I didn't think to ask after you sooner."

Hermione couldn't seem to muster up an excuse for not knowing, in reality, she had been so caught up in her own world and set on ignoring the outside that she had not thought to ask after anyone more than Harry, Ron, and the Weasleys from time to time. Sure she'd seen Luna at the end of the battle but besides nothing.

Luna sat up and looked Hermione in the eye and evaluated her for a moment, after a beat she said, in a voice that matched her eyes, "Honestly, Hermione I didn't want to leave. It's been months in a daze and those who walked past wanted to pull me out of it. I wasn't ready."

Then she blinked and seemed to reset her expression, back to following the bubble with a dreamy look on her face.

Hermione sat there in confusion,  _ months in a daze _ ringing over and over again in her ears. She wasn't ready either, wasn't ready to go face the world. Just this morning the boys had talked about accepting the Auror offer and she once again felt that sinking feeling, she wasn't ready.

"Well then why did you get up and leave when I walked in and asked?"

The dreamy look still in her eye, Luna smiled at her, "You were brighter than the others, you glow where they are merely grey."

With that statement Luna swam to the edge of the bath while Hermione remained confused, sitting on the steps.

-X-

Hermione looked around, taking in the last remains of the rubble to be cleared. The castle was almost back in one piece, thanks to the work of several volunteers, herself included, and the staff of Hogwarts. It had been a long dusty summer, filled with mind-numbing work.

It seemed that everyone around Hermione was in a rush to start the next year of classes, in a rush to move on with their lives, in a rush to forget the horrors of the last year, in a rush to start new. Unfortunately for Hermione, she could not seem to find that desire to put herself back to the way life used to be.

Harry and Ron could only talk about how much they were looking forward to starting Auror training in the fall. They had all taken the summer to recover from the months of being on the run and relearn what it was to be safe in a Voldemort free world, but the trio had been offered a place in the Auror department and told it would be there for them whenever they were ready. The boys had told Hermione two weeks ago that they decided to accept the job in the fall, that they wanted to go help catch the remaining Death Eaters.

When they told Hermione that they'd already decided she realized with a sinking feeling that though they seemed to have already decided to move on with their lives and start the next chapter, she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to move on from the loss and tragedy of the past few years, she certainly didn't want to fight anymore as they did. So with a stitch in her chest, she told them she was happy for them but she didn't think that she was ready yet.

The boys had tried cajoling her into it, tried convincing her that they could do it together and that way they could stay together and continue like it used to be. They wanted to go off together and fight the bad guys like they used to. She told them she couldn't fight anymore.

-X-

It was with a heavy heart that Hermione waved goodbye to the boys on the first day of the last week of summer. They were off to Diagon Alley, to their new flat she'd helped move them into over the weekend. She had a bitter taste in her mouth as she walked away from the platform, a sinking feeling in her chest that said she wouldn't be seeing them again for a while.

_ You're being foolish Hermione you're going to see them again in a few weeks it's not like it'll be forever. _

Lost in her thoughts, trying to convince herself it was no different than leaving them for the summer, she walked straight into someone.

"Oh Hermione, sorry I didn't see you there, are you alright?"

Hermione braced herself against the shorter person to keep from falling over and looked at the barely smiling face of Luna Lovegood with those dead dead eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Luna watched Neville walk away from her with something akin to a lead weight on her chest, there was a steady drizzle coming down around her, doing nothing to help her melancholic mood. The sweet kind boy she knew had grown up into a man, brave and steadfast, everything she should want. But she had turned him down, held his heart in her hands, and gave it back, lest she end up breaking it in the process of fixing herself.

She had just turned her back on him to walk up to the castle when Hermione walked into her. Luna held onto the other woman’s forearms as she righted herself after their collision, her complete attention on her as the world around Hermione seemed to turn gradually to color. Something akin to wisps of colored smoke twisting off the ends of her hair and floating around her like a shawl made of the finest chiffon, unbothered by the grey drizzle.

“Yes, I’m alright Luna. Sorry to bump into you like that. What are you doing down here?” 

Luna shrugged, “I was seeing Neville off, he’s going home to visit his Grandma to help her for the week.” She peered over Hermione's shoulder, looking for the two boys that she was usually with, “Are Harry and Ron gone then?”

She watched Hermione’s face fall for a moment, “Yeah they’re off to Diagon, they moved in a while ago so they’ve gone to get settled in before they start work.”

“Do you want to walk back up to the castle with me? I think I’m done down here and I could use a cup of tea.” 

Hermione’s face brightened a bit at the mention of company and nodded, “I’d like that.” With that, the two women turned and started the walk back to the castle.

They marched up the path, the mist coming down around them. The world was hot and heavy, suffocating to breathe, the rain did nothing to ease the way.

The two women continued an easy conversation, talking of teas they liked and what might be for dinner, they both seemed to be making an effort to keep the conversation as light as possible. 

-X-

Letting out a sigh of relief they entered the castle, content to let the cool, crisp air dry off their damp, too warm skin. They made their way to the kitchens, Hermione reaching out to tickle the pear before gesturing for Luna to go ahead.

It was the second time the women had been down here together, the first time had been after Hermione had pulled Luna from the library, they’d sat and talked for a bit and Hermione found Luna much changed from the girl she knew a few years ago. In her place was someone much more reserved and serious, there was no mention of nargles or wrackspurts. It was something Hermione found rather bemusing, realizing she missed the more eccentric side of the woman, even though it was something she’d been derisive of in the past.

This time Luna led them straight to the small table that had been set up in the kitchens instead of having to follow Hermione. She greeted several of the elves by name and Hermione realized she must have been here between the last time they came together and now. The first time they had not really spoken to any of the elves aside from a quick please and thank you for the leftovers they’d eaten.

The kitchen was cool and inviting, a window looked out to the castle lawn over which grey clouds hovered, but over the lake, a few rays of sunlight were just beginning to break through. In front of the window was a wooden ledge with several pillows and a small table in front of it.

It was here that Luna and Hermione settled in with a bracing cup of tea each, thanking the elf that brought the kettle out.

It was Hermione that broached the subject first, “So what comes next? I'm assuming you’re staying for your last year of school?”

Luna shook her head. “No I think I am done with school, I don't think I could go back to sitting in a classroom day in and day out after what happened last year. The world just seems so much bigger than Hogwarts. Plus I don't need my NEWTS for what I'm going to do in life. There isn't a prerequisite for working in the family business.”

Hermione nodded in understanding, “Yeah, I feel similarly, though with more than just school. Britain in general just seems too small these days, so much has happened these past few years. I’m just so tired of being here, every time I go somewhere, somehow I am reminded of the War, but everyone else seems so ready to move on. I'm just so sick of being here and feeling like the only one not ready to move on.” 

Her voice had steadily grown louder and in the end it was loud enough for all the elves to stop what they were doing and look at her. She didn't notice.

“I just don't understand  _ why _ ? Why don't they seem to think about what happened anymore? Why can they only talk about what's coming next? Why does it haunt me like this and no one else seems to notice?”

She trailed off into a miserable silence, staring out the window and gripping her cup with enough force it seemed possible it may shatter at any moment.

-X-

Luna watched as the colors swirling around Hermione changed from their normal, dark purple haze to a dark grey misery that matched the clouds outside. She admired how unafraid Hermione was to put her feelings into words. Hermione was a braver person than she was. She wasn't afraid to talk about the War.  _ The War _ .

_ Cold, dark, cold, grey, hands grabbing, pulling. Red, green, red, screams. _

_ A pool of red on the ground where a dying girl lay with no throat, reaching for Luna. _

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Hermione reaching over to grab her hand, a worried look on her face. Luna looked at her, trying to relax before she noticed something. 

“Are you alright Luna? You were quiet for a while. What were you thinking about?”

Rather than answering any of Hermione’s questions Luna pasted a slight smile across her face and asked instead, “Do you want to run away with me?”

“What?” said Hermione, startled, “You mean right now?”

Luna shook her head, “No not right now, but do you want to get away from here, go somewhere else, besides Britain.”

Hermione was quiet for a moment, thinking, “Well I would love to go somewhere, but where would we go? How long would we be gone for?”

“Hermione, you think too much sometimes. But we could pick anywhere, like Italy or something. We could go for as long as we want, it's not like either of us have anything keeping us here anyways. Daddy’s got the paper still, your parents are alright, Harry and Ron have their new job, and I have no one else anyways.” 

Luna continued, “Plus money isn't a problem, the Malfoys ended up giving me a rather large sum of money in their efforts to fix their mistakes during the war and I haven't touched it yet. We can use that.”

Slowly Hermione seemed to be warming to the idea, nodding along to what Luna was saying, so she kept going. She wove a tapestry of words before Hermione's eyes about the places they could visit and how nice it would be to go explore the world now that they were free. 

Luna watched Hermione's colors lighten once again back to the hazy purple, brightening the world around her just a bit more. She could almost make out the flower on the teacup Hermione was holding up to her lips, maybe pink?

-X-

It was with that conversation that Luna convinced Hermione to run away with her. They sat for many more hours on the bench seat in the kitchens, going through another pot of tea before they had completely exhausted themselves trying to think of places to go. In the end, they settled on Spain, since Hermione had been to Italy once before and France wasn't somewhere Luna was particularly interested in.

The two women decided they’d begin their exploration in Madrid since that was somewhere they’d both heard of and it sounded nice enough, not that they knew much about it at all, simply that it was in Spain. 

With that destination in mind, they decided to leave in the coming days, enough time to send a letter or two to their friends and families and pack a bag each.

Hermione wrote to her parents to let them know that she wouldn't be home by the end of the Summer like she’d thought previously, she had been invited to go on holiday with Luna Lovegood. Did they remember her?  _ She isn't Looney like I said before Mum, I was wrong, she understands more than everyone else I think. _

She also sent a letter off to Harry and Ron, apologizing and letting them know that she wouldn't be able to make it to their flat this weekend, she was going on holiday with Luna and wouldn't be back for at least a few weeks.  _ She really is quite wonderful to talk to, it's easy. _

Luna wrote a simple note to her father and let him know she was going to explore the world.  _ Daddy, I can see color again around her. _


	4. Chapter 4

A bright, mid-afternoon sun greeted Hermione and Luna as they walked out of the International Portkey office. They walked out into a large plaza, from a small inconspicuous door next to a restaurant. The sky was a deep blue, a few lone clouds drifted past, coasting on the light breeze. 

Next to the two women, at a restaurant under the arches, several men sat chatting and laughing. A group of university students walked in front of them, cameras in hand, excitedly pointing toward a statue of what appeared to be a soldier of some sort on a horse. Pigeons hopped around everywhere, busying themselves with stealing crumbs and avoiding the humans wandering around that paid no mind to the birds.

No one paid any mind to the two women as they emerged into the square, the passersby paying no attention to the door or who had emerged from it. The pigeons seemed to notice though, hopping out of the way of Hermione’s feet as she and Luna walked further into the plaza. 

“Merlin, it's beautiful here and there are so many people.” Luna nodded in agreement while she kept looking around in awe at the buildings that surrounded them.

“This is going to be wonderful, so do you want to go check into our hotel and get some food then? Luna? Luna?!” Hermione had been so busy looking around that she hadn't noticed Luna wander off, the spot the other woman had previously occupied was empty. After a moment of frantic searching, she spotted her by the statue in the middle of the plaza.

She walked over and saw Luna was watching a couple dance next to the statue, she opened her mouth to berate Luna for leaving her back there but Luna grabbed her hand before she could get words out and pulled Hermione closer to the dancers. They watched as the two twisted to a song that seemed to come from the very air around them. Watching as the woman's dress spun around her, floating through the air as if gravity had decided she didn't need to be attached to the earth anymore.

They watched, enchanted until the two had finished their performance and Hermione and Luna applauded. They laid a few euros in the cap laying on the ground before Luna pulled Hermione over to the statue and insisted she stand in front while she took a photo. Luckily they’d remembered to buy a camera before they left for their trip.

So there Hermione stood, gripping her luggage in two hands, smiling in bemusement as Luna unpacked the camera for the first time and took their first picture of the trip.

-X-

After many more photos, watching a few more street performances, and a bit of people watching, Hermione finally got Luna to agree to go find their hotel and get a bite to eat. Their hotel was a few blocks north of the plaza and after a quick look through the map they’d been given at the International Portkey Office they found the hotel and how they were to get there.

They made their way through streets made of an amalgamation of paving stones and cement walkways, with no muggle cars in sight it was almost like a walk through some weird alternate dimension for Hermione, it was strange to see a place so walkable with no street though the middle clogged with cars.

They arrived at the site of their hotel, a lovely building with sunny yellow walls and small balconies overflowing with flowers at every window. A few people sat outside, enjoying the weather and they smiled and waved at Hermione and Luna when they caught them looking. 

Hermione imagined it must be something akin to the Leaky Cauldron in London, all the muggles that walked past in the street seemed to pay the building no mind, their eyes glossing over it. 

The women walked in the front of the establishment and were greeted by a middle-aged woman with a warm smile and long black hair, pinned back with a gold comb, that did nothing to hide her extremely pointed ears. She handed them their keys and sent them off to room 904. 

Hermione was puzzled for a moment, the building only appeared to be 4 stories high from the outside, but after asking the woman at the counter she found it was something similar to the Weasleys tent, except on a much grander scale. There were in fact 10 floors, since this was one of the few magically run hotels in Madrid they found the need to expand every now and then due to demand. After questioning the woman a bit more on how they went about construction, the charms involved, and other details Luna finally had enough of standing around and politely thanked the woman and dragged Hermione toward the lift.

After taking the lift up, they opened the door on a cream and gold room, yellow flowers on the night table, and a room that was far larger than it looked from outside the door. Wooden floors extended into a warm inviting space that held one bed, covered in white linens, a small kitchenette, and a bathroom that looked fit for the Queen. 

Hermione and Luna flopped on either side of the bed, exhaling and reveling in the comfort of the mattress. 

“Well, we’ve made it, Luna. Now what?” 

“I imagine we’ll be wanting food next, but maybe we could just relax and walk around a bit the rest of the day. I want to get to know this place, it's beautiful.”

Hermione nodded into the bed, she’d flopped onto her front and as soon as she’d finished speaking had stuffed her face into a pillow so what came out next was a fair bit muffled. Luna surmised it was something along the lines of agreeing and smiled.

-X-

After unpacking their items and making a note to remember what the building looked like for later when they wanted to apparate back, they went on their way to go discover a place to eat. 

Hermione had wanted to grab a few guidebooks and find some of the recommended restaurants but Luna persuaded her that they didn't need them. She argued if they just went to someplace that looked like it had a lot of local people going they would find something good to eat. Hermione remained dubious but after a bit of convincing on Luna's part, she yielded to the more well-traveled woman and allowed her to lead on.

Luna led them down a path lined with scooters and other small hotels, finally coming upon a street clogged with cars that they wound their way in between. They walked past bustling cafés and tourist-clogged restaurants that Luna paid no mind to, it seemed to Hermione it was almost like she already had a destination in mind, she walked with such determination.

Luna paused outside a small restaurant, a sprawling set of tables and chairs dotted the walkway in front, each table occupied by someone or a group of someone sitting and enjoying plates of what looked like some sort of bean and meat dish. 

Luna nodded to herself and walked in the front, approaching a waiter, and asked if he spoke English, to which he shook his head. Luna smiled and reached into her bag and pulled out a small book and flipped to a page, asking again in broken Spanish if there was a table open.

The waiter nodded and brought them outside again to a small two-person table under an umbrella. He handed them both a menu and left them to decide what they wanted. 

“So what are you going to have?” Hermione asked.

“I think we should have what everyone else is having,” Luna said. “I don't think there’d be so many people eating it if it wasn't good. Plus Daddy always says it's best to try the local food when you go new places, so you get the whole experience.”

Hermione nodded, though she was a bit skeptical, who knows what could be in it. It’s not like she knew enough Spanish to ask the waiter either, much more besides ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.  _ I guess I’ll just have to trust Luna on this one _ . 

Luna meanwhile was flipping through the small book her father had sent her with his reply to her letter. He’d said they would need it more than he would, he’d used it for many of his travels but he wasn't planning on traveling any time soon. It was a magical book of phrases and commonly used terms that changed in accordance with where the book was located in the world. It had a muggle and a magical section for phrases with English translations for everything. She found what she was looking for finally and put the book down and chatted with Hermione while they waited for the waiter to return.

When the waiter came back he brought with him two glasses of water and a smile, he waited expectantly after asking them what they would like, of course, neither of the women understood what he asked but they got the gist of it. 

Luna pointed to a woman’s plate at a table near them and said, “Me gustaria dos de esos, por favor.” 

The young man nodded in understanding and took their menus from them.

-X-

It was later after the two women had been served rather large bowls of what they came to realize was chickpeas, vegetables, and meat, that they really delved into what they wanted to do while they were here. 

Hermione really wanted to go see some of the historical sites, like the palaces, while Luna wanted to go see some of the parks and gardens in the city. They concluded that they would begin their exploration of the city’s sights tomorrow and maybe start with the Royal Palace since that had a rather large garden for Luna and the palace for Hermione.

With that decided they moved on to other topics, both exclaiming over the food they had ordered and how wonderful it was and getting to know each other better now that they had time to just sit down and chat like normal people, no war or school hanging over their heads.

Hermione learned Luna had a pet cat named Penelope growing up, her favorite color was yellow, she liked peaches and wanted to have a peach tree in her yard one day, and her father was her best friend in the world, they’d been there for each other ever since her mother had died when she was young. 

Hermione told Luna about her parent’s dental practice, after explaining what dentists were, she told her about her Italian grandmother who taught her how to knit after the disasters that were the hats in her 4th year, and how she was excited to get to learn more about the world in the coming days.

Eventually, they’d talked so long the sun had sunk beneath the buildings across from them and Luna mentioned something about going to their balcony to see the sunset. Hermione agreed and the two women asked the waiter for the bill,  _ la cuenta _ . After thanking him and paying, the two women apparated back to their hotel, quickly heating a kettle and setting themselves up to watch the sunset from their balcony with cups of tea in hand.

-X-

The view from their balcony was a magical one. Since the building had been magically expanded they got a gorgeous view of all the rooftops of surrounding Madrid, alight with the orange color of the sunset. The rust-colored rooftops of the surrounding buildings looked dark, almost black against the brilliant reds and yellows of the fading light. 

Hermione and Luna sat enjoying their tea and chatting some more. Eventually, they found themselves on more serious topics.

“So how have your parents been since the war, I know Daddy still struggles a lot with what happened but are yours really fine like you’ve said?” 

Luna had heard her mention them in passing a few times but never about what had happened to them during the time Hermione was on the run or even before that much besides that they were dentists.

Hermione shifted in her seat a bit, rearranging herself in an effort to forestall the coming conversation a bit, but Luna just kept quiet, looking at her with those blank grey eyes, unblinking and waiting. 

Sighing, Hermione gave up stalling and answered in a way she hoped would satisfy Luna, “They’re okay, I sent them to Australia while the war was happening here to protect them. They didn’t agree with me, they thought they should stay if I was or that I should go with them but in the end, they agreed to go. They came back once I went and got them after we won, it’s better now they’ve been home for a while”

“How did you convince them though, if they were so against going without you? Daddy never would have let me protect him like that, though I guess yours are muggle so maybe it’s different?”

Hermione’s heart clenched, she remembered the betrayed look on her mother’s face as she lowered her wand, recognition in her eyes for the first time in months as she looked on the face of her daughter. She remembered her father’s stormy gaze as she returned his memories to him, furious at her that she had taken away his choice.

She had to swallow down the lump in her throat that came with these thoughts when she answered Luna. 

“I couldn’t convince them, they refused to leave me alone in England and I refused to see them die if I left them alone like I needed to.” Her words caught in her throat, still unable to talk about what she’d done, even now, without overwhelming shame. “I obliviated them and sent them to Australia with false memories.” 

Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered pointing her wand at her parents and stripping them of who they were and reinventing new people in their place. Luna scooted her chair closer to Hermione’s and took one of her hands and held on tight while Hermione continued.

“I took away who they were to protect them and sent them away, they haven’t forgiven me. I wouldn’t forgive me, they’re right not to, but I miss them. They’re back, I went to get them and give them back their memories after, but our relationship is gone.” She hiccuped and more tears streamed out of her eyes. “They’re distant and don't trust me. They say they love me but it sounds like a lie. I was only trying to protect them, I promise. I just didn’t want them to die.” 

Hermione continued to sob, sad and miserable, missing her parents and how they used to be. Hating herself for what she’d done, but knowing it was something that couldn’t be avoided. 

Luna got up and pulled the other girl into a hug, holding her tight as shudders and hiccups wracked her frame. She whispered soothing nonsense and let her cry it out, sometimes you just needed a good cry to get all the overwhelming stuff out, something her mother always told her when she was younger. It was good to let yourself cry.

Hermione eventually calmed down and Luna pulled her inside the room and gave her a tissue, letting her clean her face up a bit. 

“I think your parents are more hurt than anything, Hermione. I don't think its that they don't love you anymore. They may not be sure how to talk to you about it or they may not know how to deal with your magic and the things that you’ve gone through. But I don't think they would have come back and still talk to you if they didn’t love you.”

Luna sighed, Hermione was shaking her head in denial, “How could they love me still, what I did to them was horrible. I took away who they are.”

Luna nodded but said “Yes, you did, and that’s something they will have to come to terms with that happened. I think you did the right thing, the Death Eaters would have gone after them if they were still there.” 

“They burnt down the house a week after I’d sent my parents off”

“See,” said Luna, “it was the right thing; they would have been killed if the Death Eaters had gotten them, or worse. But they are still there for you, you were telling me last week that you spent time with them after the war and that they wanted to know everything that happened to you. They care, Hermione, they’re just hurt. It will take a while for that hurt to go away, but they still love you, don't doubt that.”

Hermione gave a shaky nod and leaned on Luna’s shoulder, “You really think they do?”

“Yes, parents' love is a pretty powerful thing, Hermione, it withstands a whole lot.”

Hermione was silent for a while, taking some deep breaths, and just thinking. Finally, she sat up and proclaimed she would sit down and talk to them and see how she could help restore their faith in her and how she could ease some of the hurt she caused.

“Don't forget to talk about how they would have died if they’d stayed though, that is important,” said Luna.

“I won’t, I just want them to feel more comfortable around me and maybe be more a family like we use to be instead of just pretending.”

“That sounds good, do you feel any better now you have a bit of a plan for it?” 

“Yeah,” Hermione said nodding, “thank you for talking to me about it Luna, its the first time anyone really talked to me about what happened with them.” 

Even Harry and Ron had been so busy they hadn’t really talked about what happened with Hermione’s family, she’d told them of course what had happened but they hadn’t had much advice to give her on what came next besides  _ ‘it’ll be okay eventually’  _ and ‘ _ don't worry it’ll work out’. _

Luna smiled a bit and said she was glad to be of help. She was a bit distracted by the colors that were starting to swirl off Hermione more, this time they were stretching further into the world, she could make out parts of the orange light on the bed from the sunset and the yellow of the pillowcases. Oh, how she’d missed yellow. Hermione’s colors had changed, lighter purple, not so reminiscent of an angry thunderhead anymore, more similar to the dark, glowing, purple she was sure was somewhere in the sunset they had watched. 

-X-

Hermione got up off the bed, thanking Luna again for talking to her about this and apologizing for ruining her shirt with tears. Luna waved her off and cast a quick scourgify and dried her shirt off with her want. Hermione went out to go get their cups, looking down into the street after she collected them. 

Below she saw several people wandering toward the plaza and where the bars were located a few blocks down. She turned around and asked Luna what time it was, pulling a watch from a pouch in her skirt Luna told her it was around nine. Hermione realized they hadn’t had anything to eat since three or so when they’d gotten their lunch and that, while she wasn't starving, she was rather hungry.

“Would you want to pop by a few of the bars we passed earlier and get something to eat and maybe a few drinks before we end the day?” 

Luna agreed, she thought it was a wonderful idea. They cleaned up a bit, putting the cups away and washing up before grabbing their bags and heading for the lift.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with the copyright. I do stake claim to the plot of this story, but that is all. All recognizable characters and places from HP are JK Rowlings.


End file.
